Suitable versatile Rifle types for mixed Bag

[Warbeast]

Hello folks,

Im am looking around for a suitable big game rifle.

It should be versatile and also be used one day in africa.
Biggest animal would be a buff, not interested in rhino or elephant.

Maybe some day a bear or moose.

With that i am pretty set on a 375 H&H.
This can also be used at home.

Now i am looking around lokal gun shops what is on their shelfs.

Rifle Models i find pleasing so far:
Mauser 98
Blaser r93
Sauer 200
Winchester 70

With the Blaser and Sauer its nice to dissasemble and pack in a smaller case.
Maybe get a barrel to hunt at home and get familiar with that rifle.

Mauser 98 cant never be wrong.

Anything i need to consider or havent seen yet?

Shouldnt be too expensive though.

Love to hear your opinions.

Cheers
Phil

 

[Berettaco]

can’t go wrong with a model 70. Also Ruger (a bit heavy but I like them) and Kimber (talkeetna, Caprivi and BGR) have good 375s.

I realize it’s not usually possible to shoot a used custom rifle before purchase but ideally that would be the route before buying a custom 98 to assess feeding, accuracy and extracting.

 

[Boyd Brooks]

I myself lean heavily towards a Mauser style action, as in all my rifles except a 44 Ruger carbine and my TC black powder are commercial Mauser actions. My favourite is my 416 Taylor in a Parker Hale commercial Mauser. Shoots awesome and is responsible for a couple of my black bears. Would be great in Africa for everything you talked about, also moose and the big bears in North America, or anything else you choose. Recoil is far less than my buddies model 70 in 338 Win mag, even my 358 Norma has less felt recoil than his 338.
If you are planning a build as apposed to a buy, I would lean Mauser and something different that your hunting buddies don’t have. I know I like to be a little different.

 

[Challer]

A Blaser R8 is what you want

 

[Warbeast]

T

A Blaser R8 is what you want

Most likely too expensive

 

[BeeMaa]

Most likely too expensive

The Blaser R93 was released in 1993 and they updated it in 2008 with the Blaser R8. You can find them used at a reasonable price. In what country are you located?

 

[BeeMaa]

Jackpot!!!
https://www.gunsinternational.com/g...kage-375-h-h-300-win-mag.cfm?gun_id=102546956

 

[Tra3]

I bought 3 rifles (or more…) for my what was to be just one trip to Africa. I brought two of those rifles to Namibia.
Then a few years later I bought an R8, which is what I really wanted when I first bought a rifle for Africa. It would have been cheaper just to get the R8 from the beginning.
The R8 has now been on Africa trips #2 and #3.
You will likely do more than 1 trip abroad to hunt. Don’t overspend on the rifle and delay the hunt. But, don’t buy something you sorta want now that isn’t what you are really going to end up getting later.

The beauty of the rifles that allow changing barrels is the ability to get a caliber you will use this year in NA, and then add a .375 later when you are approaching an Africa trip. If your first Africa trip is for PG, I’d get a caliber for deer/elk and stick with that for your first trip.

 

[BeeMaa]

I bought 3 rifles (or more…) for my what was to be just one trip to Africa. I brought two of those rifles to Namibia.
Then a few years later I bought an R8, which is what I really wanted when I first bought a rifle for Africa. It would have been cheaper just to get the R8 from the beginning.
The R8 has now been on Africa trips #2 and #3.
You will likely do more than 1 trip abroad to hunt. Don’t overspend on the rifle and delay the hunt. But, don’t buy something you sorta want now that isn’t what you are really going to end up getting later.

The beauty of the rifles that allow changing barrels is the ability to get a caliber you will use this year in NA, and then add a .375 later when you are approaching an Africa trip. If your first Africa trip is for PG, I’d get a caliber for deer/elk and stick with that for your first trip.

Plus it's much easier to carry for airline travel because it breaks down.

 

[Fixfire]

Second the M70 in .375HH. Can’t go wrong - cost, quality, trigger, aesthetics.

 

[Hunter-Habib]

All are excellent choices. I'd pick a Mauser Model 98 Magnum Diplomat. Just because I love their wares. If budget was a concern, then Winchester Model 70 Safari Express.

 

[rigbymauser]

Hello folks,

Im am looking around for a suitable big game rifle.

It should be versatile and also be used one day in africa.
Biggest animal would be a buff, not interested in rhino or elephant.

Maybe some day a bear or moose.

With that i am pretty set on a 375 H&H.
This can also be used at home.

Now i am looking around lokal gun shops what is on their shelfs.

Rifle Models i find pleasing so far:
Mauser 98
Blaser r93
Sauer 200
Winchester 70

With the Blaser and Sauer its nice to dissasemble and pack in a smaller case.
Maybe get a barrel to hunt at home and get familiar with that rifle.

Mauser 98 cant never be wrong.

Anything i need to consider or havent seen yet?

Shouldnt be too expensive though.

Love to hear your opinions.

Cheers
Phil

Well Phil.

Its like asking for a car that works well on offroad and racetrack. A M98 in .30-06 or 9,3mm and you are close. If bear, lions and elephant later show up on the menu, then a 458 LOtt might be what you really want.

 

[Red Leg]

If he wants a rifle for mixed bag with a lot heavier content on the PG non African game side of the ledger then a .458 of any type would be one of the last things I would recommend.

You have already determined the perfect chambering when you listed .375. The 9.3 would be just as good except it is not legal for DG everywhere.

@Tra3 offers excellent advice. I own some very fine rifles, but the one that inevitably travels with me internationally is my R8 - configured for whatever I am hunting. It has the best commercial trigger of any production rifle, the finish is virtually indestructible (mine wearing a synthetic stock is my "beater" rifle for the worst conditions), has fabulous ergonomics, is supremely accurate, and is compact due to the action/magazine design. It is also utterly reliable, and as a client's rifle for all seasons, it stands head and shoulders over a '98 regardless who made it. And yes, I own a number of rifles based on Mauser actions and love them all. But for the single choice that checks all blocks, a R8 can not be beat.

 

[Sika98k]

@Warbeast . You got the caliber right first go. The 375 will cover everything up to buffalo for you as you have stated.
Choice of rifle.. I lean towards a Mauser 98 action. I just love them and possibly more easily sought in your part of the world.Personally I have taken to disassembling my rifles (98s) for travel. It gives me a much smaller piece of luggage to tote around.
You always shoot a target before going hunting in Africa. For several reasons, to verify the rifle is spot on and for your PH to see if you are a loon with a firearm. A torque driver will get your rifle back together 99.9%

 

[grand veneur]

Hello folks,

Im am looking around for a suitable big game rifle.

It should be versatile and also be used one day in africa.
Biggest animal would be a buff, not interested in rhino or elephant.

Maybe some day a bear or moose.

With that i am pretty set on a 375 H&H.
This can also be used at home.

Now i am looking around lokal gun shops what is on their shelfs.

Rifle Models i find pleasing so far:
Mauser 98
Blaser r93
Sauer 200
Winchester 70

With the Blaser and Sauer its nice to dissasemble and pack in a smaller case.
Maybe get a barrel to hunt at home and get familiar with that rifle.

Mauser 98 cant never be wrong.

Anything i need to consider or havent seen yet?

Shouldnt be too expensive though.

Love to hear your opinions.

Cheers
Phil

It depends on what you mean by big game rifle.

A real big game rifle starts with caliber 416, but is not very versatile, especially when it comes to shot other game species with it. Bear and moose do not need a cartridge caliber 416 or more, much smaller also do the job. If you only want to shoot a buffalo someday in your life, it's not worth buying such a rifle. A rifle caliber 375 H&H Magnum is in this case certainly a good compromise and can be used for many game species worldwide, including buffalos to a limited extent. By the way, if you once only want to shoot a buffalo, you can also rent a rifle caliber 375 H&H Magnum. Rifles of this caliber are available in almost every camps.

 

[Tally-Ho HUNTING SAFARIS]

That R8 that someone posted on here is awesome and u will never look back
Can do anything with thatcombo
Or if u dont need the 300wm barrel its an easy sell

 

[Ridgewalker]

If you can stand a Blaser R8, it is a very versatile option. BUT I hated mine! A year with the R8 and I couldn’t wait to get rid of it. It just didn’t work for me.
My Montana Rifles Co in 375 H&H has performed well for me. It is essentially a Win 70 clone no longer in production. I have also owned a Kimber Talkeetna which was a fine shooter easy to carry also a Win 70 clone.
JMO&E, but the Win 70 is a fine rifle and in 375 H&H will handle most anything your heart desires.

 

[AimSmall]

Since rifle 'expense' is entirely dependent on the difference between what you pay for it and what you sell it for, buy the R8. Red Leg explained it well.

 

[WAB]

Great advice here. A .375 in the platform of your choice makes a ton of sense.

Personally, I can’t cock an R8 while holding the rifle grip. I have to take my trigger hand completely off the rifle to cock it. I suspect this is due to old injuries and a subsequent operation that have greatly reduced the flexion in my right risk.

Can you guys with R8’s cock the rifle while holding the grip just like you’d take a conventional rifle off safe?

 

[Warbeast]

If you can stand a Blaser R8, it is a very versatile option. BUT I hated mine!..... a Kimber Talkeetna which was a fine shooter easy to carry....

Somehow i cant stand a r93 or r8.
Had a couple of k95s and loved em. But thats straight pull action from blaser just wants to make me puke.

The kimber looks nocr. And only 2500 bucks would be in my budget